Bhubaneswar: The Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA) will launch three new housing projects under its jurisdiction.

A decision in this regard was taken at the 150th authority meeting of the BDA in the Odisha capital here today. Housing and Urban Development (H&UD) Minister and BDA chairman Krushna Chandra Mahapatra presided over the meeting.

As per the decision, the BDA will launch housing projects at Chandrasekharpur in the capital city here, Jagasara near Jatni and and Sanapalla in Khurda. Besides, it will develop commercial space at Patia in the capital city.  

A budget proposal of Rs 1,536.08 crore for the BDA for 2025-26 financial year was approved at the meeting.  

The meeting also approved a proposal for the inclusion of 143 new revenue villages under the jurisdiction of BDA. At present, four urban local bodies (ULBs)--Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC), the municipalities of Khurda and Jatni, the Pipili Notified Area Council (NAC)--and some gram panchayats come under BDA jurisdiction.

Since its establishment in 1983 with just 116 revenue villages, BDA has expanded multiple times, including in 2002, 2003, and 2011. This latest expansion aligns with the city’s strategic urban planning efforts and major infrastructure projects aimed at improving regional connectivity, officials said.

With the addition of these new villages, the total number of revenue villages under BDA’s jurisdiction will rise from 569 to 712.

Besides, the meeting approved a proposal for land monetisation to generate revenue for the BDA. As part of this initiative, several land patches have been identified for auctioning.

The BDA has also decided to develop Bhubaneswar Town Centre (BTC) at Master Canteen Square and BDA City Centre, popularly known as Nicco Park. In addition to this, the civic body has decided to develop 24 CDP roads across the city.

Bhubaneswar Ekamra MLA Babu Singh, city mayor Sulochana Das, Jatni municipality chairman Ananta Behera, Khurda municipality chairperson Kanak Laxmi Mohanty, H&UD Development Principal Secretary Usha Padhi, BDA Vice Chairman N. Thirumala Naik and BDA secretary Manas Ranjan Padhi among others were present at the meeting.